The meeting to elect the next Kerala Chief Minister, with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, began on Tuesday. Uncertainty has been continuing over the Congress’s Chief Minister pick for Kerala for over a week, after the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance won assembly elections in the state.
Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala are seen among the top contenders for the chief minister post.
Former KPCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran, MM Hassan, K Sudhakaran, VM Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, A P Anilkumar, PC Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil have arrived in New Delhi to meet Congress top leadership to finalise the next CM of the state.
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The announcement of the Kerala Chief Minister has been delayed due to ongoing discussions and lobbying among party leaders and UDF partners. The Congress high command is considering multiple contenders and seeking consensus.
The main contenders for the Kerala Chief Minister post include VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala. Their selection is being discussed by the Congress high command.
The selection process involves discussions between the Congress high command, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior state leaders. The views of UDF partners and the general public are also considered.
The announcement of the Kerala Chief Minister was expected on May 14th, ten days after the assembly election results were declared. However, the decision-making process extended beyond this date due to continued deliberations.
UDF allies, such as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (KEC), have their views considered in the selection of the Kerala Chief Minister. Their opinions are taken into account as the UDF is forming the government.
Earlier, speaking with reporters, Hassan avoided making any direct comments regarding the next Kerala Chief Minister and said the high command will decide after considering all aspects.
“The Congress high command asked us to come here for the discussion. I hope that the discussions will be held regarding the chief ministership. We are all requesting that the decision be announced. The high command will make a decision while considering all the aspects,” he said.
It’s been a week since the UDF won the Kerala assembly elections. Still, suspense continues over Congress’s chief ministerial nominee for the state.
Assembly elections were held in Kerala along with West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. West Bengal, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have their chief ministers. Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister of Assam today. However, the Congress party hasn’t finalised its chief ministerial choice in Kerala yet.
Modi’s jibe at Congress
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at the party’s “alleged indecision” in naming a new chief minister for Kerala, accusing the Congress leadership of allegedly stabbing its own leaders in the back.
PM Modi alleged that Congress-led governments are consumed by “internal disputes” rather than public service and pointed out that, despite securing a mandate in Kerala, the party has remained unable to choose its chief minister, leaving the state’s administration in a state of paralysis.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Tuesday said that the Kerala CM would not be decided merely based on the opinion of MLAs, instead views of the UDF partners and the general public would also be taken into consideration.
He said that since it is the UDF CM, and not just the Congress, who is being decided, the front partners’ views will also have to be considered.
If the decision had to be taken just on the views of the MLAs, it would already be done by now, Muraleedharan added, while speaking to a TV channel here.
The high command will make a decision while considering all the aspects.
“That is why the high command decided to hold an extensive discussion on the issue,” he said.
The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has 22 legislators, and the alliance partner’s opinion will matter. The Kerala Congress (KEC) has won eight seats, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has won three in the just-concluded polls. The UDF has won 102 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority.
The term of the outgoing Kerala assembly ends on 23 May.
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